Love Bug
by project-ml
Summary: Enjoy a collaborative story about our favourite love square this Valentine's day, and their experiences with the Love Bug.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi!**

 **Love Bug is a 5 chapter Valentine fanfiction created by Project ML.**

 **You can find out more about us, and this project on our tumblr - project-ml**

 **We hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Adrien Agreste shook his head slowly, his mind awash with shards of half remembered plans and thoughts; if only he could piece it together into a mosaic. His schedule was overloaded of late: he had a piano recital due in two weeks, a basketball match and training for it all next week. On top of that, he had his fencing to keep up and three modelling shoots looming. He honestly had no idea how he was going to manage half of it with school work and his double life as Cat Noir, and that was the one thing he couldn't compromise on. Even his fanmail had peaked unusually in quantity. It normally fluctuated by the number of shoots he did at any given time, but it had become a deluge of paper that threatened to wash away his room in recent days. He hadn't even considered answering any of it, his father didn't allow it anyway, but he just didn't have the time. So it sat there, unopened and quickly absorbing his desk. Eventually he would have to commit himself and throw it all away, but he wanted to avoid that for as long as possible. It always felt weird throwing it away unopened, but he had learnt the hard way that it was harder to throw it away without responding if you read it.

"Hey dude!" a familiar voice called, causing Adrien to look up from his schedule-consumed thoughts.

Nino was waiting for him on the corner outside of school, just as he had asked. "Hey Nino!" He grinned, the cold air biting his lips with a raw viciousness. He hadn't known why, but he had wanted to walk to school this morning. The pair fist bumped as they reached one another.

"Are you excited man? Three days to go and all," his friend continued, a rather warm glow to his cheeks.

"Three days?" Adrien began, but Nino quickly answered his question.

"Till Valentine's Day man! Don't tell me you forgot!?" his friend exclaimed before scoffing at his friend's clear lack of awareness.

The words didn't quite settle for a moment, like some hovering grey cloud threatening to drop its contents upon him at any moment. The moment came and the realisation hit Adrien hard, a swift kick to his stomach. Valentine's Day was coming! After a moment of utter immobility, Adrien managed a sigh, the cool February air kissing his cheeks like a long lost lover; a touch of frost leaving nothing but chills in his spine. He had let the February days sneak up on him this time around, but he could ignore it no longer. That peripheral glimpse of vibrant colour in his otherwise grey and gloomy days had been growing ever closer and now with Nino's words it came crashing through. Three days to go and he could have been counting the minutes right now if he had so desired, but he knew that would end poorly, very poorly. He had ignored it for so long for that very reason. Adrien feared becoming consumed in his adoration, and counting the days until he could know who the answer to that question: who was his secret admirer?

"Damn dude, you must have been really busy. It's not like you to lose track of time."

"I…" He swallowed, hard. "I guess I just did." He shrugged vaguely, hoping Nino wouldn't inquire further.

Nino's lips twisted into a knowing smirk. "Oh my, have you been absorbed organising plans for the lucky lady?" He winked and nudged his best friend with his elbow, his eyes glistening with curiosity and humour.

His Lady, Ladybug. He couldn't take his mind off of her. He had been and was still in love with her. His valentine letter, unsigned except by her endearing affection, or so he hoped. It was his most treasured possession and it took pride of place on his desk. He, of course, kept it hidden from his father and from Nathalie, but that wasn't an issue, and it was a secret worth keeping. Nothing mattered more to him than his Lady and to have something so precious taken away from him, well, he wouldn't think of it. Biting his lip, Adrien shuffled uneasily as they walked. He didn't really want to linger on this topic, and it wasn't like he could answer honestly anyway. Plus, his friend's question had actually caught him off guard.

"There isn't a lady Nino, but what about you? Haven't you been sorting out plans for Alya?" he inquired quickly but honestly. He knew Nino had been crushing on the blogger for months now, but he never seemed to make a move. It was something Adrien never understood.

"Dude quiet! What if someone hears you?" Nino hissed, looking over his shoulder, clearly concerned.

Adrien couldn't help but chuckle at Nino's response. It wasn't his concern that made Adrien chuckle of course, he wasn't so cruel, but it was his friend's genuine concern someone might find out his secret. "Come off it dude, she isn't here, and no one is going to rat anybody out just a few days before Valentine's Day," he reassured his friend. "But come on, you never answered my question."

Nino sighed, shaking his head slowly as he did so, "I haven't decided anything man, I don't know what to do," he admitted sheepishly, his gaze upon the ground as he spoke. His shoe scuffed the ground as they walked, the nervousness of the situation clear upon his downcast face. "I just," he shrugged, his shoulders moving with a surprising amount of emphasis, "I don't want to come on too strong you know? It will be weird if I just say; hey I like you so much but you didn't know, want to just hang out?" His tone was bitter, almost defeated.

Adrien's gaze narrowed, "You're being ridiculous man, and Alya clearly likes you back." He nudged his friend affectionately. "I don't know why you worry about 'coming on too strong'. If what you say is how you feel shouldn't you tell her just that? I mean, it may be hard, scary even, but if she is worth that much to you, better to tell her than never say it," he continued, his own experiences and feelings for Ladybug seeping into his words. It had taken him so long to admit to her just how much he cared, and though he was sure she still didn't get it or necessarily believe him, Nino's situation was a little simpler, and most definitely not as dangerous as his own.

Nino only shrugged at Adrien's words as they rounded the corner and approached the school gates, but as the moment ticked on he eventually raised his head. "It's easier for you man. You're Adrien Agreste, if you ever confessed your true feelings for someone they would fall in a heartbeat."

"I wish," Adrien whispered to himself, his mind again wandering to Ladybug, her celestial eyes, calming, confident voice, her kind heart.

"Huh?" Nino wondered aloud, the intent of Adrien's hushed words clearing missing him.

"It's nothing man, don't worry about it." He shrugged simply, internally thankful that Nino hadn't heard him. That would have created an awkward situation. "If I can help, just let me know. But for what it is worth, I am sure she will say yes."

Nino nodded. "What do you think I can do then? What would she like?"

Adrien smirked. "Well, you could proclaim your love from the nearest rooftop?"

Nino rolled his eyes. "I'm serious man, flowers and chocolate is way too cliché, no girl really likes that… do they?" Nino was clearly unsure with anything he was saying; this was most definitely not his forte.

Adrien smirked. "Cliché can work my friend, but if you want to avoid it, perhaps the cinema?"

Nino shook his head before Adrien had even finished forming his words. "Already thought of that. We did that with you and Marinette, didn't we? She'll probably think I'm trying to rearrange the same thing."

"The Eiffel tower, then?" Adrien offered.

"Too obvious," Nino retorted simply, his voice exacerbated.

"Take her for a meal?"

"Please man, I'm not made of money, I could never afford what she deserves."

"I can lend you the money dude," Adrien offered sincerely. Money didn't really matter to him after all, if it wasn't for his dad tracking his expenses he would just give Nino the money.

"Nooooo, no man," he all but jumped, "thank you, really, but I can't borrow money off of people. It never feels right, you know?"

Adrien bit his lip in frustration, the school courtyard rolling by as they walked. "I get you, okay, what about you two just hanging out then? Maybe walk around Paris together?"

Nino shrugged, "Maybe, but I don't want to be too boring you know?"

Despite his rather bland words, Adrien could see the desperation in his friend's eyes, a look of sorrow and guilt washed together. "Look man, the best thing to do is go with what feels right, no matter how silly your head tells you it is, if your heart says go for it, then go for it," he explained as the pair entered the classroom, the majority of their classmates already inside.

Even Nino couldn't suppress a smirk at Adrien's cheesy line. "Thanks dude, I appreciate it. You're a good friend, you know that?"

"It's what friends are for dude."

Nino shook his head slowly. "Well, then I am glad you're my friend."

As he sat down at his desk, Adrien's mind firmly fixed on Ladybug and just how he was ever going to explain to her how he feels. It was torture now that Nino had brought up his potential plans with Alya. He couldn't get the image of Ladybug out of his head. Even just the idea of spending time with her sounded beyond perfect right now. As Cat Noir or as Adrien, he would give anything for just some extra time with Ladybug instead of being in class, as much as he did enjoy school.

As Adrien's mind wandered in his fleeting desires, his attention was caught by a sudden sound. "Come on Alya, hurry up!" It was clearly Marinette. Turning his head in curiousity, Adrien noted Nino's strange behaviour. He was turning rather stiffly, almost as if he was turning to stone with each passing second. Refocusing his attention on Nino, Adrien saw Alya walk by him and up to Marinette, with Nino's eyes following her the whole way. If it wasn't for the faint blush on his cheeks, Adrien could have sworn his friend had been turned to stone in a gorgon's gaze. Breathing deeply, Adrien gently but firmly placed his hand on Nino's shoulder, catching his attention after a second, and the blond slowly shook his friend.

"Nino, you've got to do something, you're head over heels." As his words left his mouth Adrien saw Nino's cheeks redden in response.

"Shush, you'll get me caught dude," he breathed deeply. "Plus, let's be fair, I am not you, I don't get tons of fanmail every single year."

"Yeah yeah, you brought that up already Nino," Adrien grinned, un-phased by Nino's repeated point. "You got me once, you won't get me twice," he continued, leaning down to his shoulder bag rather pleased with himself.

His ambivalent attitude towards the fanmail gibe was obviously not the reaction Nino had been hoping for, and the boy slumped slightly in disappointment. There was no sign of blushing or stuttering, and Nino was not going to stand for being the only one embarrassed this morning. Nino was clearly not satisfied with this result and sought to even the playing field.

Biting his lip in friendly frustration, Nino looked deep in thought, obviously searching for some specific memory, and the pause in the conversation led Adrien to believe it was over. But as Adrien looked through his bag, Nino clicked his fingers with vigor, a devious grin stretching his face. And in that moment, Adrien knew it was far from over.

"What about your mystery soulmate from last year? Maybe she'll actually sign her name this time," Nino announced triumphantly, as if it were a declaration of victory rather than a question.

Nino's grin only solidified as the comment did exactly what he hoped. Adrien jumped and began spluttering, but his protests were silenced within mere seconds as the back of his head smacked into the table. In his momentary panic, he had gone ramrod straight, but he sat up too fast and didn't manage to clear the table which blocked his path. His protests died on his tongue with a small yelp, but his face was still flaming red as he straightened himself, slowly and carefully this time. He gave the table a disappointed look, rubbing the back of his head, but the scolding didn't last very long before he turned back to Nino. Adrien opened his mouth to say something, and Nino just smirked and interrupted him.

"Don't even try to deny it, dude."

"I… I wasn't- At least keep your voice down!" Adrien replied, the last sentence coming out in a hiss as his eyes glanced around nervously.

* * *

Marinette didn't try to eavesdrop on other people's conversations, but when they were directly in front of you and talking as loudly as Nino had been, it was hard not to listen. Usually it didn't matter, but occasionally it resulted in her slamming her head down and clamping her mouth shut, making a valiant attempt not to screech when she heard information she wasn't supposed to. That moment was one such occasion. Her hands curled into fists with the sheer amount of effort it required not to react any more obviously. She wasn't even entirely sure what she was feeling. A combination of excitement, curiosity, and embarrassment swirled in her head. Adrien had read her card. Adrien had read her card and really liked it. Adrien had read her card, really liked it, and she had forgotten to sign her name. What would have happened if she hadn't forgotten? Would he have confessed, and would they have started dating? Did she miss the chance to have been dating Adrien for an entire year? Or… would he have liked it less if he had known it was from her?

Alya, on the other hand, had no qualms about eavesdropping on other people's conversations. She was a lot more focused than Marinette, who still felt guilty about trivial things like eavesdropping. She turned to her friend, eyes wide and smile growing bigger by the moment. She didn't even try to hide the fact that she had heard what Nino had said as she laughed and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. But even with the comforting gesture, her eyes sparked in a dangerous way, and if Marinette had seen it she would know that the girl was ready to meddle.

Despite his attempted vigilance, Adrien missed the two very important reactions behind him because Nino started laughing, and he was immediately distracted. He had to defend his honor. "Nino! I mean it. Talk quieter, I don't need the entire class talking about it."

The DJ just waved his friend's protests off, but when he did speak his voice was lower. "But for real, you have to be curious. How is this not driving you crazy, dude?"

"Of course I'm curious!" Adrien deflated slightly, pushing his pencil around his desk. He watched as it rolled to the edge, and caught it at the last moment, pushing it back in the other direction. "It would be nice to know who it was…"

"Just 'nice'?" Nino asked, and Adrien could tell from his tone that whatever expression was on his face, it was probably way too self satisfied. Seeing that Adrien wasn't taking the bait, Nino kept talking, "Whoever it was is a sap. That poem was the cheesiest thing I've ever read."

"You weren't supposed to read it," muttered Adrien, willing himself not to blush again as the red tint of his cheeks finally began to fade.

"Then maybe you shouldn't keep it on your desk, in clear view, you lovesick idiot."

"Maybe you shouldn't go through someone's desk?" Adrien shot back.

"Dude, it was practically on display. The only thing that could have made it more obvious was a flashing neon sign." Nino chuckled. "You're just lucky that I, your best friend and all around good guy, was the one to see it and not someone else. Who knows what they would do with that info?"

Adrien rolled his eyes, thinking that Nino's teasing didn't exactly make him feel lucky. But his lack of reply meant that Nino had won that round. He nudged his friend in the side, a smile still on his face as he continued speaking. "Seriously though, you think whoever it was would send something again? And maybe, I dunno, sign their name this time?"

Adrien's mind flashed to an image of Ladybug. He pictured her sitting in her room, the midday sun filtering in through a nearby window, giving her entire being a soft yet stunning glow. The light blush settling on her cheeks was almost tangible, warm even, to him, sending a rush of joy through his soul. Then their was the gentle curve of her soft lips, pursed in thought as she tried to compose her poem to him. He knew exactly how her eyes would sparkle as she found the words she sought, it was the same blaze of inspiration that caught in her eyes as she formed a plan in battle. Not that they would be so harsh as that; no, they would be softened slightly by fondness, adoration, and sometimes, when he was feeling particularly daring, blissful love.

He pictured the entire scene in an instant, the daydream a familiar moment he had visited too many times. It was a great puzzle to him, Ladybug, one which he did not have the ability to complete, for he was missing too many pieces. He sighed, and the image dissolved, smoke in the spring air that she personified.

He had a very clear idea of who he wanted the letter's author to be, but he also knew that was something he could never explain to Nino. So he answered with a different confession. "I don't know, but I would seriously give anything to know who sent me that letter."

Nino raised his eyebrows at the absolutely sincere tone of Adrien's confession, but before he could respond the teacher called the class to attention. The two shared a small look as their conversation was forcefully ended, but soon allowed their attention to be pulled into the monotony of lessons.

* * *

Marinette had faced countess akuma as Ladybug. She had been trapped, kidnapped, threatened, shot, trampled, thrown, crushed, stabbed, and much more. And yet it was never until this moment that she had ever considered that she might die from something so trivial as heart failure. After all, she was Ladybug, savior of Paris.

But Adrien said he would give anything to know who sent him the letter, and her racing heart couldn't possibly last.

A heart attack wasn't the worst way to die, right?

Marinette was teetering on the edge of sanity. She could feel the excitement thrumming in her veins. Or was that panic? She couldn't tell, but either way, she wasn't sure she could make it through the rest of this class.

He would give anything to know.

To know who sent the letter.

Her letter.

That she sent.

That heart attack was looking more and more likely.

She fidgeted in her seat, the voice of the teacher going in through one ear and out the other. The rational part of her brain told her she needed to listen, or at least make it less likely that she wasn't listening. But that part of her brain was quickly overruled by the part that had been screaming non-stop for the past few minutes. Her entire demeanor hinted at her heart's mental victory. Frankly, she was lucky she wasn't actually screaming.

Her brain picked up its imagining from earlier and ran. It wasn't hard to conjure an image of him, smiling down at her with an awestruck look on his face because his "mystery soulmate" was her. She had been sitting behind him the whole time. She could practically hear his laugh at how simple it had turned out to be. She could see it now, the moment in which it had all fallen into place, where everything was made simple, where he knew and she knew and they smiled. It was perfect, all she had to do was…

The image turned blank and crumbled into shards before her sight as a realisation dawned on her love sick brain.

How the hell was she going to tell him?!


	2. Chapter 2

The evening had been a bitter cold, and they had been distracted for most of the night. No words were said as they strolled along the rooftops at a casual pace, both caught in their own minds. Ladybug had used her time to calm down after what could definitely be called a stressful week. After all, she only had a few days to figure this out, right? But what was there to do, what could she do. It was all very complicated. It was a delicate situation.

Tick tack tack.

Cat Noir, on the other hand, was not the definition of calm. His razor-like claws tapped at the baton with small clicks. He didn't want to break the silence but it was killing him to not to.

Tack tick tick.

Ladybug turned to watch his nervous tapping. It wasn't often she saw this behaviour from her partner. Cat was more often than not a very confident person.

Tick tick tack.

Confident enough that this nervous energy was off putting, it was just unlike him to...

Tack tack tick.

She paused in her stride letting out a short sigh. Reaching out she grabbed him gently, but firmly enough to make him stop moving and turn to look back at her. His green eyes widened in surprise as he gave her a startled look.

"Alright Cat, out with it. What's on your mind?" she asked, her hands going to rest on her hip.

Cat nervously rubbed the back of his head with a weak grin. "Uh… what do you mean, My Lady?" he asked, trying to play it off, wondering how she had noticed.

Ladybug frowned slightly, raising her eyebrow in suspicion. Her ocean eyes narrowed in his direction.

"You look like you're ready to run for cover. Something is up," she explained, pointing an accusing finger at him.

Cat avoided her gaze, turning back away from her and continued his stroll. His hands no longer nervously tap the baton- but now gripped the weapon with anxiety.

The red and black hero didn't move a muscle, waiting patiently for him to explain his odd behavior, knowing he wouldn't be able to hold it from her much longer.

It didn't take much longer than a few minutes before he cracked, and her lips curved upward in success.

"U-Uh… I actually have something I can't get out of my head," he said at last. Ladybug nodded her head slightly- a gesture meant to urge him to continue, even if he couldn't see it. "Valentine's day is almost here, you know."

Ladybug's relaxed posture tensed, her once victorious facial expression melting to guilt as she slowly prepared herself, trying to find it in her to turn him down.

She had known this day was coming. It had just escaped her thoughts with her Adrien problems clouding her mind. She nervously rubbed her arm. Taking a deep breath, she began to cut him off.

"Cat…." she began, trailing off as she stared at the ground.

The hero bit her lip. She opened her mouth again, ready to try letting him down easy. However, before she could make a peep he started to speak again.

"Your hair is jet black, your eyes blue as the heavens," he said quietly, his face growing a light shade of pink.

Ladybug's head snapped up to stare at him. Hadn't she read this before? Yes… she knew those words. But how on Earth had Cat Noir gotten his claws on Adrien's poem?

"I want to ask you who you are behind your mysterious mask," he continued on, not quite catching her eye, and unsure of how she was feeling.

Ladybug's mind clouded with confusion. It was definitely the right poem. But why was it making even more sense now than it ever had. Mask? How had she missed that?

"I see you every day and I would like you to give me a sign," he continued, fiddling with the baton behind his back in his nervousness. "I shall love you till the end of my days," he said before he looked up and caught her eye, "will you be my Valentine?"

The silence stretched on as Ladybug stood there absolutely shocked. The wind's whistle soon became the only sound they could hear.

Cat stood in his place, not quite knowing what to do. The shocked expression really could mean anything, be it good or bad.

The silence seemed to last forever growing tenser with each second that ticked past.

Cat Noir stared at Ladybug who seemed to be off in her own little world, working something out, her mind putting pieces together like a puzzle. He thought he could see something like recognition in her eyes, but there was so much confusion that it was hard to tell.

Cat was finally about to break the silence, and take back his confession when Ladybug finally spoke up.

"Your hair shines like the sun; your eyes are lucky green, I look at you and wonder, your thoughts and dreams," she said and Cat's heart swelled at the familiar lines, his hopes becoming greater with the sound of her voice. "Yes, I would be your valentine, our love is so true, together for eternity, my heart belongs to you."

Cat Noir's heart pounded and he felt the wide grin spread on his lips. Until of course he looked at Ladybug, and part of him faltered because his Lady still looked so lost and confused and something wasn't right.

"I-I sent that poem to Adrien. Adrien Agreste I didn't- how-" she stumbled, tripping over her own words. Her mind was going faster than any plane in the sky, putting pieces of a complicated puzzle together faster and faster. Allergies… green eyes… blond hair… it all made too much sense to deny, yet it all crashed at her so fast- too fast- and she didn't want it to be true.

On his side, Cat Noir wandered into his own mind, the realization hitting him nearly as fast and sudden as it did her.

The poem, I never sent it… I threw it away after class… but then how?

He looked up in sudden realisation and stared at the girl in front of him with awe. He never sent it, but still got a reply- he never sent it but she still had read it and now...

She goes to my school! She knows me as Adrien. I know her outside the mask!

He snapped out of his thoughts as Ladybug took a few steps backwards, her face twisted in confusion and hurt. But why?

"My Lady, outside of the mask, do I know you? Do we know each other?" he asked, desperately hoping to stop her from leaving. Perhaps if he thought a moment longer he would have remembered she didn't want to know who he was- and definitely didn't want him to know who she was.

But the Cat was so caught up in his excitement he forgot to think, the words spilled out before he could stop. The questions tumbled like an avalanche of rocks. It was too much for the girl to take, super hero or not. Ladybug, and the girl behind the mask, was never unprepared. She always had a plan- even if it went wrong. This, however, she had no plan for. This idea never crossed her mind. Not when she first met Cat Noir, not when Alya brought up the appearance similarities, not ever.

Ladybug had stumbled back to the edge of the roof, her mind too swarmed and the only thought she could make out was a loud 'get out of here'.

"A-Adrien," she whispered, and it almost sounded like a question. She's so very confused because somehow her partner had become her crush, and her crush her partner. Adrien and Cat, Cat and Adrien. Two separate parts of her life that weren't meant to come together. They were never meant to crash like two cars speeding on the road, flipping what was once reality over and setting fire to the fuel of her peace of mind.

"I- I have to go," she said, quickly excusing herself before she bolted out and across the rooftops.

"Ladybug!" he called out to her while scrambling to make chase. He couldn't lose her now. Not with all the questions he had- not like this!

He made it a few rooftops before he lost sight of her completely. Gone into the frosty night leaving him behind with the whistling wind once again. Coming to a stop on a rooftop gazing out to the streets. He decided that he knew one thing for certain.

Ladybug went to his school. Most likely in his very class if she'd found his poem.

She liked Adrien enough to return a Valentine's poem. He had to find her. It couldn't be that hard.

Right?


	3. Chapter 3

Friday morning couldn't come any faster.

The first bell often elicited a certain sense of anticipation as it sounded the start of another school day, yet this time it felt at least ten times worse. There were only two days left before Valentine's Day, and with that special date falling on a weekend this year, Adrien knew today was his last chance to figure out Ladybug's civilian identity. He was on a mission to root out his Lady before school was dismissed – his very _sanity_ depended on it.

The blond was already in his seat, having arrived a solid twenty minutes before class was due to begin. He was practically sweating bullets and his right leg was bouncing like crazy; anyone would think that the slightest provocation would send him over the edge. The tension was making his shoulders ache, and he tried to pass the time by scribbling in his notebook. (All that came out were little doodles of ladybugs, and he had to resist the urge to slam his forehead on the desk.)

Before long, light chatter signaled the arrival of his classmates, and Adrien's grip on his pencil tightened as they trickled in. He was hyper aware of the girls who walked past, watching them like a hawk. His notebook contained a list of their names, and he methodically crossed out certain ones as they took their seats.

Ladybug couldn't be Chloé or Alya; she couldn't be Alix either, nor Mylène. The only ones left unaccounted for were Sabrina, Juleka, Rose, and Marinette.

Adrien frowned at Sabrina's name, silently hoping it wasn't her. He'd like to think she was a lovely girl, but if she hung around Chloé so much and catered to her every whim without a second thought, he couldn't imagine how much she must have been influenced by her. And Chloé was _not_ the best role model, to put it lightly. The others were nice enough though, and he resolved to investigate a little more thoroughly.

It was hard to keep a close eye on them given that they were either all the way at the back of the room or directly behind him. Adrien knew he had to be discreet even when Miss Bustier's back was turned, and little things like 'accidentally' dropping his pencil or rummaging through his bag could only rouse so little suspicion (Kim and Mylène kept staring at him curiously every now and then).

From what he had gathered so far, the three girls seemed to be on edge, Marinette most of all. Distracted faces, nervous fidgeting, not meeting his gaze… Not that they had any reason to do the last one, but Marinette seemed as though she was deliberately avoiding it. Normally her eyes would be focused on the back of his head, but now it was almost glued to her desk and he could tell she was trying very, _very_ hard not to look up whenever he managed to catch a glimpse of her.

Frowning suspiciously, Adrien was in the process of coming up with another excuse to look over his shoulder when he noticed Nino sliding a piece of paper towards him on the bench. Cautiously, he picked it up and unfolded it in his lap.

 _Alright, I've got some ideas for V-day with Alya here, but I don't know which ones to pick! Help a bro out, will you?_

\- _Video games at my place; I've got a ton of titles for us to choose from_

\- _Go to the movies; there're a few new shows coming out this weekend_

\- _Dinner date; I want to treat her but I don't have the money :(_

\- _Flowers and chocolate; again, not enough cash :(((_

 _Let me know what you think!_

It took Adrien longer than usual to finish reading the note. He didn't have the time for this! They had already talked about it earlier and he had offered help, and he already knew that his advice would be pretty much the same. Finding Ladybug was his top priority, and helping Nino was a distraction he couldn't afford. But after glancing at his seatmate, seeing the way Nino's free hand kept fiddling with the headphones around his neck, Adrien could tell how genuinely nervous he was. Somewhat ashamed of his frustration now, the blond scraped together whatever patience he could find and forced himself to assess Nino's ideas, jotting down little remarks here and there before passing the note back. It was the least he could do for his best friend.

\- _I don't know what kind of games Alya likes, but do NOT play Mario Kart unless you want your relationship with her to end before it starts_

\- _Any movie with superheroes in it should be a safe bet_

\- _If you need money I can loan you some!_

A sudden thought hit him, and Adrien groaned to himself. Today was the last day of school before Valentine's Day; _of course_ everyone would be anxious about making their moves, and that meant he couldn't rule anybody out based on nerves. Back to square one, it seemed. Tense as he was, it took everything in him to hold it together until the first break of the day.

At the bell, Adrien turned to address the girl behind him.

"Hey, Mari...nette…" he began, but Marinette was out of the class like a shot, and if Adrien had any lingering doubts about whether she was avoiding him on purpose, they had effectively been squashed down. Waving a quick goodbye to Nino, he quickly stuffed all his belongings in his messenger bag and made his way outside, intent on hunting down and interrogating his three potential candidates.

Almost comically, Adrien screeched to a stop at the edge of the school yard. His luck couldn't get any worse; he never realized just how _many_ girls went to his school. Seeing them walking about, chatting in small groups or eating together, it occurred to him that _any_ one of them could have entered his classroom and retrieved his note from the trash can. Three girls had now become several dozen, and Adrien felt like tearing his hair out.

How was he supposed to sift through all these girls to find Ladybug?

He couldn't help the groan that escaped as his eyes roved among the many people milling about. Of _course_ the girls in his class weren't the only ones in the school, and any one of them could have been in that classroom. Any one of them could have found his crumpled poem and could have written the response to it. And, he supposed, any one of them could have seen him toss it through the windows if they had been watching.

But whoever that girl was, she was _his lady_. He squared his shoulders, mourning his luck, and dived into the fray.

Rose was still nearby, so he made his way to her for a casual conversation, trying to see if she'd betray the reason she was so on edge today. He learned nothing new, noted that her eyes were just a shade off from Ladybug's beautiful blue, and she was shorter than the red-clad superhero. Not to mention he wasn't sure that _any_ amount of magic could make her hair grow so much longer and make it so much darker. Not to mention the fact that Rose's voice was different. Not bad different, necessarily, but it wasn't the pleasant tones he was used to hearing.

When he took his leave of her, he gravitated towards the nearest duo of girls, both giggling and shushing each other at his approach. Inwardly, he pleaded that his conversation with them would go quickly, but he paid them enough attention to make his conclusions.

One was too tall and the other was the right height, but with brown eyes and a lower voice. He watched them like a hawk during their brief encounter, but bid them adieu with a little more gusto than necessary as he brushed past Ivan and Mylène on his way before spotting Juleka. She looked like she wanted to get back up to Rose, but he intercepted her with a smile, silently begging her to forgive him.

"Hey, Juleka!" he greeted. "Are you feeling okay? You've seemed a little out of it today."

She blinked, glanced over his head towards Rose, and offered him a quirk of the lips. "I'm fine, thanks."

Her eyes were the wrong color, her hair too long, and she was just a bit too tall, so he marked her off his mental list.

"If you're sure," Adrien couldn't help but glance over his shoulder to where Rose was now happily conversing with Nathanael. "I'll see you in class, then!"

"See you."

She departed, and he turned to search the crowd once more.

* * *

Before Adrien turned away from her classmate, Mireille stepped forward and opened her mouth to say something, but he was already hailing another girl from his class. The weather girl heaved a sigh and resolved to wait until he was done talking to her. It was just distracting for Mireille when she could see that smile, even from here. It was a smile that never ceased to make her weak in the knees, and she knew she was probably grinning stupidly.

And that's when she heard her classmates giggling just behind her.

"Did you see that?!" the taller girl hissed excitedly. "He talked to us! And he didn't look away! His eyes are _so_ dreamy from up close, don't you think?"

" _Yes_!" the other girl nearly squealed. "The way he was staring into my eyes…" she trailed off with a dreamy sigh. Her friend joined, and then the duo started giggling together once more, but Mireille noticed something else.

Adrien's classmate was walking by her, and the blond heartthrob was already disappearing between another group of people. With a soft gasp of dismay she rushed to the top of the stairs and searched for him through the crowd. When her eyes lit on his golden head of hair, Mireille dashed down to the ground level and looked up, only to find that she had already lost him again.

She groaned in frustration, clutching her heart-shaped valentine to her chest.

After a while, she slipped away, the frustration building.

"This isn't _fair_ ," Mireille whined softly to herself, tucked out of sight as she watched Adrien talking to a new girl. How many girls was he going to talk to? Did Mireille just need to go stand in the open for him to notice her?

Her mind was running in circles as the irritation continued to build.

 _He never talks to me, even though I'm famous and on TV, too. What's so special about all of them? Has he ever even talked to them before now? None of these girls are even in his_ class _so he probably doesn't know them personally. What do they have that I don't? Are they prettier than me or are they smarter than me? Richer than me?_

Logically, the girl knew that Adrien wasn't that kind of boy, but the heart did funny things when in love…or so she'd heard.

With that in mind, though, she knew she _had_ to do it now. She had finally worked up the courage, after so many years of crushing on him from afar, and in her shaking hands she held her greatest masterpiece yet.

" _Dearest Adrien,_

 _Your smile is the warm breath of spring,_

 _Your heart, bold and true._

 _When you laugh, all I hear are bells ringing_

 _When I dream, all I see is you._

 _Your eyes are the treetops in summer,_

 _Your hair, sunshine gold._

 _When you're near me, my heart can't help but flutter_

 _When I hear you, my heart to you is sold._

 _Your profession is the cool breeze of fall,_

 _Your photos, a work of art._

 _When you're hard at work, you're always standing tall_

 _When I close my eyes, you're always in my heart._

 _Your absence is the frigidity of winter,_

 _Your presence, the crackling fire._

 _When you see me, I hope your eyes will glitter_

 _When I tell you that you're the one I admire._

 _Will you be my Valentine?_

 _With all my love,_

 _Mireille"_

She clutched the card tightly against her chest once more, squaring her shoulders and peeking out to find him once more.

* * *

"What on _earth_ is Adrien doing?" Alya seethed silently, peering around a corner at him as he bounced from girl to girl. Was he using some sort of model charm to win them all over or what? And what did that say for Marinette, who had been head over heels for the boy since they'd met?

And then another thought crossed her mind and she peered around. There was no sign of Marinette.

 _I wonder where Marinette got to?_

"So, ummm," a voice near her ear startled Alya from her search and she turned to Nino, fidgeting beside her. "I wanted to ask…"

"Hmm?" she tapped her foot impatiently when Nino paused, peeking back out and watching Adrien while still searching for Marinette.

"I mean, I was wondering if, uh…"

"What is it Nino? Spit it out!" Alya nearly snapped, but reined herself in at the last moment. He was being kind of annoying, and he was exhausting, but it was kind of adorable for whatever reason and she didn't know how to deal with it. She was trying to find Marinette and keep an eye on Adrien, after all. Even though Marinette hadn't mentioned her Valentine's Day plans for Adrien for at least a week now…which Alya found incredibly suspicious.

"Would you like to, uh, hang out sometime? We can, um, watch a movie or play some games? If you want to, that is…um…"

The redhead stared at him, speechless for a moment, before softly sighing. Nino had continued babbling shortly after, starting to talk about random things, but she perked up when he started talking about Adrien

"And, uh, I noticed you were watching Adrien. Uh…Adrien only gets like this when he's hyped up about Ladybug. Almost as obsessed as you."

" _Ugh_." A distressed groan ended Nino's rambling there, and both turned to find Marinette on the ground by a bench, holding her head and looking like she wanted nothing more than to disappear. She had been acting really weird all week, and the blogger was concerned.

"You okay, girl?" Alya asked slowly, taking one last glance at Adrien before slipping towards her best friend. Nino followed a step behind, none of them noticing the listener from just around the corner.

* * *

Sabrina was _definitely_ not Ladybug. That deduction had never made Adrien happier. He got away from her as fast as he could. She was at Chloe's side, as always, and he slipped off before the eavesdropping, frustrated blonde girl could sink her freshly manicured nails into his arm to drag him around with her.

He talked to another few girls, after his escape, always watching intently for any signs of nervousness or that they were keeping secrets from him, but he had no success. Any girl who had braces was pretty much immediately discounted because Ladybug didn't have them—though Adrien had to consider it when a pretty girl with black hair shyly smiled at him and flashed red and black braces. But a few moments later he noticed that her eyes were not only the wrong color, but also the wrong shape, and he was forced to move on.

Adrien spoke to at least four more girls before he started to despair, but as his eyes roamed the crowd for a few moments, another face popped into his mind. The sense of dread lessened and a glimmer of something positive arose.

Hopefully, somewhere in this mess, he'd be able to find Marinette and talk to her.

* * *

" _Everyone_ gets his attention but me!" she couldn't help it. The jealousy in her chest made Mireille so angry she wanted to cry. "Even _Ladybug_ has his attention. I mean, of _course_ she would, because she's a superhero…but am I just not enough? Not even a little bit _desirable_?"

Even as she watched, Adrien started talking to another girl, of all things. She found that she couldn't look anymore. Mireille turned on her heel and stomped away, card clenched tightly in one hand.

After all she had done to get his attention, she still couldn't get him to talk to her. She'd stood near a few other girls, making small talk with her eyes on the prize, and she'd still been unable to approach and he hadn't made his way to her. Break was nearly over and she hadn't had the chance to even start speaking to him.

Mireille couldn't deny that she was jealous. She was so envious that she could burst. Was there something wrong with her that made him stay away? Did he actually not like other famous people? If so, entering the contest had been a complete mistake. The biggest questions in her mind, though, were still questions of attraction. Was she really just not pretty enough for him to come talk to her, or was she not desirable enough to earn his attention?

All she wanted was the chance to give him the card! She'd spend _hours_ on it and it was her greatest achievement yet. And she wasn't even getting the chance to give it to him. She wanted to cry. In fact, she could feel the tears burning in her eyes.

"I guess I'm just not pretty enough, or confident enough, or desirable enough," she muttered bitterly. "I'm not enough for him. Why would he even bother with me? Why _should_ he?"

As if in answer, a deep voice resounded in her ears. A faint purple glow surrounded her eyes.

"You're right. Why should he bother with you when _Ladybug_ is around?" Mireille nodded in agreement, certain that she was losing her mind but ready to embrace it now that she had realized the flaws in her love. "But you could be desirable…even _more_ desirable than Ladybug. I could make it so that you were the most desirable bug in Paris. I only ask for one little thing in return…"

"What is it?" Mireille asked, her voice cracking.

"Ladybug and Cat Noir's _Miraculous_."

The image of Ladybug's red and black earrings flashed through Mireille's mind, followed by Cat Noir's black ring. The voice explained that these were the source for Ladybug's powers.

"If you take away Ladybug's Miraculous, you'll be more desirable than she is."

"I'll do it," she found herself whispering into empty air.

The voice laughed. "Don't forget, _Love Bug_. Their Miraculous must be mine!"

* * *

Adrien parted from yet another girl, furrowing his brows. Three more conversations and still no Marinette in sight. He had to find her before the day was over. Or, well, he supposed he could go to the bakery over the weekend, since he knew where it was. He'd just have to tell Nathalie it was to meet for a project, since his diet didn't exactly allow him many sweets or baked goods. He didn't _want_ to resort to that, though.

"Where are you, Marinette…?"

He didn't have much longer to look, though, because screams sounded from behind him. Adrien took a moment to turn and search for the source of the disturbance, instantly blaming his terrible luck, and found a flying akuma, with veined, orange wings and a white and red outfit. Her searing eyes met his and a wicked, confident smile crossed her face.

"Adrieeeeeeen," she sang, and he bolted.


	4. Chapter 4

The sound of several female students around him screaming distracted Adrien from the akuma behind him. He would have to put aside finding his Lady until the akuma had been taken out and purified. That is, once he could run away from her fast enough and _find a place to transform_. However, finding somewhere proved to be another story.

Looking around his scattering peers, Adrien started picking out a place he could run with the akuma on his tail. He could hear her yelling out something, maybe his name or maybe a threat, but he paid no attention to what she was trying to say. _He had to get away_.

 _Not the bug I want to bug me…._

His mind suddenly went to the boy's locker room, one of the only places that gave him even the slightest of chances to transform. The akuma was a girl, he was boy, and they had both been raised in polite society, right? Well, he hoped he was right because that was exactly where he was going. Inside though, politeness flew out the window because people were everywhere. Adrien found himself more than once pushing a fellow classmate aside just the tiniest of bits so he could make his way through the mass of panic.

From his pocket, he heard Plagg's muffled shouts, "Just hip check them already!"

Behind him, he heard someone crash into a wall and the thud sent a chill down his spine. Adrien felt like everything was going in slow motion, his legs running through goo as the screams of the children resounded through the air. The doors in front of him were approaching way too slowly for his liking, almost like a glitch in a video game where the end never came in sight. His heart rate sped up and the pounding against his sternum was the only reason time seemed to return to normal. Harsh and heavy breath coughed out of him as he continued to blitz down the corridor. The sound of the akuma's footsteps slamming against the floor became a metronome as she chased after him. Adrien wished he could transform into Cat Noir, but the akuma was right behind him. There was _no time_.

As the doors to the locker room slammed open due to the force of his entry, Adrien darted over to the corner of the room, fear surging under his skin. The doors barely closed before the akuma charged into the room behind him. Trying to keep his breathing controlled, Adrien made his way to the wall in between two rows of lockers, hoping it would give him enough time to transform-and maybe enough coverage to _think_.

Yet, luck has never been his friend. Before he could lift his shirt to reveal Plagg and turn into the city's beloved black cat, the akuma rounded the corner. Her pointed legs, sharp as ice picks, clipped as she gracefully strode forward, a sickening grin on her face. And though she was colored in white and red, an allure of pure and sweet, the heart that rested on her chest seemed just ask fake as her demeanor.

"Oh, my little blonde boy, why do you run away from me so? Don't you realise that you're supposed to be running towards me?" she cooed. "I am your _one true love bug_ after all." Adrien frowned at the statement, his green eyes finally taking in the rest of her appearance. The akuma had antenna protruding from her head, and two large wings cascading down her back, fluttering slightly with every step. They were yellow seeping into orange to grey, but instead of seeing a pretty butterfly, all he saw was a poisonous frog.

"Come my love, kneel to your queen and let us be together," her voice rang. "I'm ten times better than any of the other _lowlifes_ you know." Once again, time seemed to slow down to Adrien as the akuma before him lifted her hand towards him palm down, watching as her wings started to glow a bright pink as they extended, quivering slightly. Feeling a surge of his feline loyalty, Adrien let a grin spread upon his face only ever seen during his time as Cat Noir.

"I don't kneel down so easily." Even as her wings twitched in anger, her floating hand halting, and the once sickly sweet smile on her face was replaced by an expression of anger, Adrien felt no regret at proclaiming at least to himself he was already loyal to someone else.

It didn't change the fact that she was getting way too close for comfort, his hair standing on edge at the mere closeness of her presence. If she was indeed a bug, then his skin shivered like her presence sent creepy crawlies to march onto him. With a churning stomach, he decided that if his reaction was any indication, Adrien definitely needed to slip out and get away from the akuma who seemed persistent at trying to make him fall under whatever spell she had.

Quickly averting his gaze from the akuma before him, he analysed the possibility of sliding past either side of her. All he had to do was fake her out one side and automatically turn heel to the other. Although his chances looked slim, Adrien was determined to get out and lend a hand to his Lady. Just as he was about to make a dash for it, his back leaving the wall, the akuma's once floating hand came flying up towards his neck, and grabbed him.

Slammed back against the wall, Adrien felt all the air escape from his lungs. The grip at his throat was tight and he knew that she would leave a bruise. His cells screamed for oxygen as the blonde-haired boy gasped for breath unsuccessfully. Her fingers squeezed harder and the room was reduced to only her and him. Adrien's hands reached up and grabbed her wrist, trying to pull her away, nails digging into her skin.

"I am Love Bug, and you _will_ love me," the akuma snarled, raising her shimmering wings in a threatening manner, flapping and flapping like a cuckoo clock bird. Dark spots started clouding Adrien's vision, the abyss of unconsciousness suddenly starting to take hold of the boy due to lack of air. As the spots became larger and obstructed more of his vision, he heard a shout in the distance and maybe, he thought, he only got lucky because of an angel's prayer.

A figure started running towards Love Bug from what Adrien could make out through his blurred and faded vision, but he didn't need to see to know who it was. Without removing her hand from his throat, Love Bug went to turn around and face the person who was barrelling down the passage towards them.'Love Bug's hand was ripped from Adrien's throat right before the figure bounded off of the lockers and straight into her side, slamming her into the lockers.

The sudden rush of oxygen entering his lungs as he landed on the floor was painful, the next few gasps even more so as his lungs got used to the regular flow of air again. It was both a blessing and curse, to breathe to live while it felt as if Death himself scrapped his esophagus. As his vision cleared, he looked towards his savior, the strikingly familiar red and black making his eyes widen, but he couldn't help his knowing grin.

 _My Lady is always there when I need her._

"Stay away from him," Ladybug growled, her yoyo grasped in one hand, her other arm out in front of him in a protective gesture. Despite the near death experience, Adrien took a few moments to revel in being near his love, for as always, she proved to be remarkable and strong. However, her sudden appearance caused Love Bug to become even angrier at the situation and the girl's face turned bright red.

(Personally, he thought that Love Bug's scarlet flustered blush was just as red as Ladybug's suit. Not like he was going to say that.)

Just as she was about to speak, a bright purple light in the shape of Love Bug's mask appeared over her disgruntled face, an eerie whisper accompanying its appearance.

"Forget the boy! Get me Ladybug's Miraculous!" At the voice's command, Love Bug's gaze zeroed in on Ladybug, and with a screech, she charged.

Adrien had always seen that mask appear on the akuma's face, the sharp outline of a butterfly with pointed wings, but he has never really heard the voice as clear today. It bothered him, made him angry that the person on the other side controlling his victims could sound so calm as they were causing havoc.

At the Love Bug's sudden enraged movement, Ladybug gave one last worried glance at the blonde boy behind her before swinging her yoyo and leaping towards the akuma. Adrien felt his eyes widen at how reckless his Lady was being. It was normally _him_ that charged into the fight first, and only with very good reasons. He was made for combat, claws and baton just perfect for smacking people. Ladybug on the other hand, she was the one who could cleanse all the damage done-even the damage he had done with nails that destroyed all.

Adrien suddenly found himself panicking about the dark-haired girl in front of him. In the back of his mind, he knew that his Lady could take care of herself, he'd seen it before, but that didn't stop the words escaping his mouth with a yell, "Ladybug! Be careful!"

As he shouted out to the hero, a flash of pain erupted in his throat, causing his hand to fly to his neck. It burned, almost like he swallowed fire, and a metallic taste crept up onto his tongue. A coughing fit ensued straight after, there was no way he could use his voice after the pressure that had been applied on his throat.

Over the sound of his coughs, Adrien heard a loud shout from Ladybug. Looking up from the ground, hand still over his mouth, Adrien's gaze locked onto Ladybug wiping blood from her lip. In that moment, sky blue and green converged for a moment, and he was sure that his lack of breath wasn't because of the bruise forming at his throat. Ladybug pulled her arm back, yoyo in hand and threw it at the smirking akuma.

At the sight of the yoyo, Love Bug extended her wings and tried to rise up above them out of range of the yoyo, until her wings started hitting the lockers on either side of her. As her wings hit the metal, it reminded him of cacophonous cymbals crashing, ringing through the air like a failed band class rehearsal.

The passageway was too small for her to fly. They had that advantage, at least-which thank god Ladybug oozed good luck because Adrien was positive if he was left on his own, then well...this fight would be very different. Love Bug looked at the lockers either side of her, a furious expression plastered on her face as if the lockers personally insulted her for existing and actively refused to let her fly. In a way, they did, but what could an inanimate object actually do when it was bolted to the ground? When Ladybug finally looked up towards the akuma, Love Bug's snarl turned into a sick grin before she raced out of the locker room.

A part of him wanted to race out after her, but seeing the tan flesh of hands and not black leather put a damper on his plans. Maybe if he just "fled" to safety and got to a classroom, he had a chance of actually being useful in this fight. What use was he if the offense of this team needed to be protected by the person he had sworn to protect? He was about to make a move for it, but his Lady lingered a second too long in her spot.

Ladybug coughed before turning around, eyes wide and the blood on her lips dry. Her worried expression made it look like she wanted to say something. Though cracked and bloodied, white teeth bit at her lip for a moment before she winced in pain. Emotions flashed across her eyes, though: worry, concern, and maybe something more. She was about to take a step forward, but then stilled as if there was a barrier between her and him. Instead, the dark-haired girl started running after the akuma, her retreat almost louder than any words she could have said.

For a moment, Adrien looked after his Lady in shock, before he willed himself to rise to his feet. Chanting the same mantra over and over in his head. _My Lady needs me._ Not like he needed to tell that to himself, that was the same mantra he said every day. It was what he did for a living after all. _My Lady needs me_ was the exact reason he got out of bed each morning and went to bed with a smile.

Loving Ladybug, helping Ladybug was just a part of his DNA.

Still coughing from the pressure Love Bug had applied to his throat, Adrien ran out of the locker room and scoured the school area for any signs of the two battling. He couldn't waste any time transforming when his Lady was in serious danger of being hurt. The sound of terrified screams and shrieking caught the boy's attention, and Adrien started into a sprint. It was like there was a countdown clock he couldn't see, but despite the burning in his breath, he didn't run any slower. When he got to the mass of students, crying and afraid, he barely caught sight of the door to the roof swinging closed. And for the normally kept together model, he almost let a curse fall from his lips in public.

Of course Love Bug would go to the roof. She was able to fly. The open sky would be the perfect battlefield for her with no lockers or small hallways to stop her. An unrestrained akuma was all they needed, he thought bitterly as he dashed to the stairs. Once again, Adrien raced towards the battle, ready to aid his Lady if need be. Because really, mask or no mask, who was going to tell him otherwise?

Like the rest of the day, time slowed down in the stairwell too, each second stretched so thin it rivaled the air on Mount Everest. His footsteps echoed and ricocheted off the walls, much like a marching army going into battle. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot. But what he lacked in numbers, because literally he was the only who was racing to fight an angry butterfly, he made up in determination.

It coursed through him, springing him forward as he leapt from step to step. His Lady needed him, even if she didn't know it and he was going to be in the thick of it to just make sure she would be okay. After all, if anything ever happened to her-well, there would be a price to pay.

Adrien made it all the way up the stairs, his breathing finally becoming easier as he made it to the top. Charging his way through the door, he entered the new battlefield where anything was a crapshoot and made of Hail Marys. From the access door, Adrien saw Ladybug throw her yoyo at a smirking Love Bug who had flown high into the air. Flight had changed her, made her bolder and more sure of herself. Despite the fact that Love Bug was supposed to be a pretty butterfly, made up of bright colors to attract the eye, he wondered if she was actually a moth in disguise. For they did that, some moths did. Pretended to be beautiful creatures that they just weren't otherwise. And perhaps Love Bug was the same as them, caught up in camouflage and pretend, because that way she currently was didn't make him want to love her.

As the yoyo flew through the air closer and closer to their enemy, the smirk fell off of Love Bug's face. Sometimes Adrien wondered if Ladybug's yo-yo had a homing device because honestly, it always knew exactly where to go. From her toss, the red and polka dotted weapon sailed through the air making the most perfect arc, going on target to wrap around the rival bug. The endless string continued to fall seamlessly from the device, whizzing through the air with endless grace.

At the very last second, Love Bug's lips turned sinister and she ducked under the range of the projectile. It was just a split second movement, but one moment she was there, and the next she was not. Ladybug's yoyo returned to her hand with a loud thump, with Love Bug right behind it flying at full speed. A cruel smile on her face, the akuma used her bright orange wings to balance herself and kick Ladybug in her side.

Two sharp feet, much like icicles, crashed into the superhero's side and the world stood still. As Cat Noir, Adrien would have leapt in front of his Lady without second thought because that's what he did. While transformed, he was tough, strong, and built for the rough and tumble. Sure, it would hurt-it always did, but it was totally worth it, because Ladybug always healed him in the end anyway. She always made sure of that.

Ladybug let out a blood curdling scream at the impact, the sound worming into his brain to haunt him at a later date. The thud of her body hitting the ground though, bones and all, as she bounced like a ball would haunt him even further. There was a pause and grunt and the world moved once again, because despite how bad it all looked, Ladybug wasn't dead. Clutching her side, her face scrunched up, the dark-haired girl doubled-over in pain.

"Ladybug!"

Her name tore out of his mouth just as easily as it would have if he was dressed as Cat Noir. Because if neither of these two girls knew it, he knew it. He knew Ladybug on a personal level and he just saw his best friend get tossed aside like she was nothing.

Tired of sitting on the sidelines, Adrien let the rage fuel him and before he knew it, he was right in front of Ladybug. Exactly where he needed to be. He could feel the smoke burning from his eyes and his teeth grit as he looked at the foe in front of them.

"If you really wanted to be a bug full of love," he started. "Then you wouldn't go around hurting people!"

Now, during all of this, the world panned away from Adrien and focused instead on Ladybug. Maybe it was the ringing in her own ears or maybe it was just the shock of watching Adrien defend her so valiantly unarmed and unafraid, but despite all the pain and the hurt, warmth glowed in Ladybug's heart.

She knew that Adrien was Cat Noir. She knew it for a fact, but with a mask or not, seeing her partner willingly defend her made her chest feel so tight even when everything was going wrong. And perhaps it was the wrongness of the situation that really made everything click for her. Because maybe, as he charged just like he always did, maybe he really did love her like he claimed.

Her best friend, her other half, refused to let anything happen to her and even if he didn't know all of her, maybe the part of her he did know was enough. Because Adrien knew Marinette as well and he was never unkind to her as her civilian self, but watching him love so effortlessly as in this current moment was almost too much. She knew that Cat Noir always wore his heart on his sleeve, but now it was plain and open for the world to see, thumping and pumping clear as day.

It was the courage he had, true courage to love and not be afraid of the repercussions. From where she sat, looking at the muscles that tugged at Adrien's back, Marinette realized she had a lot more in common with Love Bug than she cared to think. For this girl, most likely just as sweet as she was currently evil, loved Adrien too in her own way. But neither of them were as strong as the object of their affection, for he never took or forced his love. Made it clear, yes. He always made his feelings known, but despite that Ladybug never returned him, it didn't make him bitter or angry or turn him into their current problem. He just continued and loved and stayed by her side.

 _Because that's what love really is_ , echoed through her mind.

A part of her wondered if her change of heart was because that she knew that Cat was now Adrien, but a larger part of her knew that wasn't the case. In a strange turn of events, the two most important boys in her life just become one. So, weird yes. It was very weird and odd and strange, but not unwanted.

Not unwanted at all. Though she wondered if he would feel the same...

However, her thoughts were shattered when Love Bug's voice vibrated through the air.

"Why can't you just love _me_?!" Her shout electrifies the air, making all their hair stand on end.

Outraged at Adrien's defiance, Love Bug turned to the person she blamed the most, seething with anger. If it wasn't for _her_ , if _she_ just wasn't here, then Love Bug could have had all that she desired. She dived straight for Ladybug as the dark-haired girl was recovering from her earlier strike, and bit straight into her shoulder before Ladybug could throw her yoyo.

Another loud scream was heard from Adrien's beloved partner, but Adrien refused to falter, gritting his teeth, he looked around until he found a stray stick to hold. It was old, colored a faded green as the paint started to peel away after being too long in the sun. He gripped the wood in his hands, much like how Love Bug held him by the windpipe earlier and ran over to help Ladybug.

He swung the wood into Love Bug's back, causing her to retreat from the dark-haired girl. Adrien took a defensive stance in front of Ladybug. He wouldn't let her become hurt again this battle.

"I learned not long ago," he yelled back, "that loving someone isn't about being loved, but it's about just loving them!"

Those words shot through Ladybug's heart, flaring up and lighting her veins with fire to just not be lost in her own head any longer. Despite that her side ached, her head hurt, and her new wound throbbed with pain, on shaky feet she stood up, pushing herself off the ground with wobbly hands and legs. Adrien gave her a sidelong look, concern coloring his face as he saw her move.

"You okay, L-Ladybug?" he asked. She knew he was about to say "LB" but then corrected himself last second.

In return, she gave him a small smile and nodded, the desire to win with her partner spurring her further. Looking around, she saw Love Bug's chest heave up and down as she seethed at Adrien's words, but the purple mask came back so she decided to whisper to the model.

With a low voice, she called him over. "Do you think you can follow my lead?"

The smirk that he gave her was so Cat she almost started laughing, but she kept it to herself. "Of course, Ladybug." As an afterthought, he added. "I think...I know who it is," he said as realization dawned on him. "It's Mirelle!"

Gesturing with his eyes, he continued. "I've been trying to figure out why she's been so hung on me...but I haven't seen her all day. She has been acting kind of weird recently too."

Ladybug only nodded once more, her heart going out to the young weather girl, because really, she was very sweet. Looking back at the akuma whose wings were starting to glow a little too suspiciously, Ladybug bit her lip in an attempt to try and think straight. She couldn't have Adrien hurt.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, the blonde-boy gave the red and black hero a warm smile. "Come on my Lady, we've been through a lot worse than this, we can take her on." Distracted by each other, the duo missed Love Bug's evil monologue on what it was exactly her wings were about to do. And like always, everything made total sense and for the first time that day, she felt like her and Cat weren't on opposite sides, but instead on the same team.

"Go for her legs and I'll do the rest," she let the order fall easily from her lips, just as if he was dressed in black.

Giving her a small grin, he charged off towards Love Bug, a war cry trying to rip from his mouth, but it ended up sounding garbled. What he hadn't expected was her to recklessly run right behind him towards Love Bug _at the same time._ Though, his distraction did its job as Love Bug's face turned surprised when Adrien jumped and hit her square in the shins, making the stick in hands shatter on impact.

Love Bug was so caught off guard that she didn't see Ladybug trailing behind Adrien. Using his shoulders like a pommel horse, Ladybug sprang into the air and reached out for the heart card on Love Bug's chest as the girl doubled over in the air, trying to cradle her slightly injured shins.

Ripping the card in two, the tear releasing the akuma inside, trying to fly away to where it had come, but that couldn't happen on Ladybug's watch. Gripping her yoyo with a flush of pain spreading through her shoulder as she did so, she opened her yoyo and then threw it at the black butterfly.

"No more evil doing for you little akuma!" she shouted as her yoyo arched towards the object of most of their trouble. "Time to de-evilize!" Once it had captured the black butterfly, the yoyo flung back into Ladybug's hand. "Gotcha!"

Bringing the yoyo up to her chest, Ladybug pressed on the top causing the lid of the object to open, releasing the once blackened insect. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

Ladybug watched as the butterfly flew away, its white wings a welcome sight to the duo. Ignoring the searing pain in her shoulder, in a moment of wondering if it would actually work as they had never gone through a battle without using 'Lucky Charm', Ladybug threw her yoyo up into the air to fix everything that had been destroyed. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

Adrien and Ladybug watched as the small ladybugs flew around and fixed all of the destruction that Love Bug had caused in the school and as Love Bug once again returned to being Mirelle.

Although the ladybugs had fixed all the major damages, the blood from Ladybug's injury still sat on her lips, a gruesome reminder of how serious the battle had been. Out of pure exhaustion, Ladybug collapsed to the floor. The battle wounds still felt like they were being stabbed over and over again, the pain searing itself into her long term memory. Adrien watched from the sideline as tears appeared in her eyes. But Ladybug was Ladybug so she refused to let them to fall.

With a worried expression, Adrien shuffled over to the Valentine's Day card that had been repaired with Ladybug's healing power. Picking up the heart shaped card, Adrien made his way over the Mirelle who had become really confused at why she was on the roof with nobody but Adrien and Ladybug. A pang of guilt thrummed in him as he exhaled a small sigh.

Despite how drained the blonde boy felt, he bore a smile as he approached the girl, who stood up to greet him, taking in all his scrapes and newly formed bruises. Confusion painted her fingers, her pretty brows furrowed as he came closer.

"Here you go Mirelle, I believe this is yours." Mirelle looked down to the card that Adrien was holding out, her eyes widening at the object in his hands. Swallowing slightly, she shook her head at him.

"No, it was meant for you. Keep it." Mirelle reached out and pushed the letter to Adrien's chest, the boy's eyes widening slightly and flickering over to Ladybug. With the akuma having taken his entire focus, he had forgotten what he had set out to do.

It was awkward standing there: with the girl he loved and the girl he rejected.

Looking back and forth between the model in front of her, and the polka dotted hero, Mirelle quietly slipped away back to the roof access door and went back to class mumbling a slight sorry as she left. Though the words went unheard by all ears.

The door closed, clicking signalling that both Adrien and Ladybug were alone. And finally, all the pain, fear, and anger bubbled up that he had to contain all day. He marched over to Ladybug until he was only a few feet away from her with his lips pressed together firmly.

"What do you think you were doing?" At his words, Ladybug looked up at her unmasked partner. His voice was a rising crescendo, starting low like thunder before striking like lightning. "Were you deliberately putting yourself in harm's way!?" He wasn't yelling very loud, but it was sharp and direct and filled with hurt. Adrien ran a hand through his hair, the stress of seeing Ladybug in constant danger finally catching up to him and causing his hands to shake violently.

"You're one to talk! The first thing you do if you see me in danger is put yourself in my place!" she shouted back, getting up and stomping over to him the best she could, trying not to wince at the amount of pain flooding her system. "How do you think that makes me feel, Cat?"

At the name of his alter ego, Adrien flinched as she mentioned his hypocrisy. Because she was right-she was always right, because he would always, without a doubt, do anything in his power to protect her.

"How do you think it makes me feel when there is a very real chance of _you_ getting hurt in my place? Why would you do that to me?" Tear sprung to her eyes and Ladybug lifted her left hand to wipe them away, lowering her head in the process. And he had never wanted to kick himself more than in this moment because he made the love of his life cry.

"What would I do if I actually lost you?" Adrien's worried gaze shifted into one of concern as he watched her shoulders shake. He moved forward to her, lifting up her head to wipe away her tears with the back of his fingers. The tears caught easily and slowed as bright blue eyes stared wide at him, unsure what he would really do. Wordlessly, he started looking over her injuries, and decided that a trip to the hospital was inevitable. The ladybugs might have healed other damages, but not the ones done to their bodies.

Adrien ran his thumb around the corner of her mouth, the dried blood taking most of his focus. His thumb skimmed over the rest of her lip, slow and gentle, before resting on the apple of her cheek. His eyes moved to her shoulder, the bite still fresh, red and glistening as it seeped through her suit. He finally looked into her eyes when she lifted her injured arm to rest her hand on his, leaning fully into his touch.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, his fingers smoothing the shell of her ear and tangling in her hair. Ladybug pressed her cheek into his palm a bit more too, closing her eyes as she reveled in this moment between them: this cusp of something new.

"It's alright, we were both worried about the other," Ladybug responded before a frown appeared on her face. She went to look at Adrien's hand before he curled his fingers into his palm. She turned her gaze upward, trying to find an answer within his eyes, but was only faced with a small smile. She could see all his feelings of affection within his gaze, and was reminded of the endeavour he had pursued throughout the day.

Sighing, she glanced at the ground somewhat before collapsing quite ungracefully. Looking up at Adrien as she tried her best not to lay down on the floor in absolute exhaustion, Ladybug idly thought that maybe, lying down would relieve from the pain that plagued her shoulder and rib. Before she remembered what Adrien had been doing all day.

"I saw you looking around the school today, have any success in finding the lucky girl?" She smiled softly as she waited for his response.

Adrien stood there for a moment, his smile dropping and his face easing into a calm look as he joined her on the ground. "You tell me." The smile that had once graced Ladybug's lips fell away, and she looked away once again, wincing vaguely as a dull throb started pulsing in her head.

"You… You don't know who I really am Cat…" she started, a pained look crossing her features. "You don't know me. You think you do, but, how could you? You don't know anything about me, Adrien, how can you possibly say you love me?" Ladybug brought her gaze back up to the model before her.

Adrien felt his heart roll in the same turmoil that he saw on her face when they finally locked eyes. He knew that the girl in front of him returned his feelings as much as he loved her. That when she found the note in the bin that fateful Valentine's Day, it wasn't Cat Noir writing to a superhero, but a boy writing to his classmate.

Taking a serious expression, Adrien reached over and grabbed her hands in his, softly pressing a small kiss to the back of it. He then lifted his gaze to her, and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Ladybug," he began, "this you is all I've ever known. You don't get to decide I wouldn't love the rest." Ladybug sucked in her breath suddenly, the seriousness of his confession shocking her slightly. She shuffled slightly, considering how Cat had always behaved, and how Adrien had fought for her, and by her. The poem flashed in her mind's eye before she finally collected her thoughts.

If Adrien hadn't been regarding Ladybug so closely, he would have missed her soft ' _okay_ ' before she released her transformation. Adrien felt like time had slowed down as a bright glow surrounded her body, before the light disappeared, his kwami flying out to meet hers. In Adrien's eyes, not even the heavens could compete with the beauty that his Lady held before him. It was as if the gods themselves had graced her with beauty only the stars should have ever held, and yet, she was sitting in front of him.

The love of his life had been sitting behind him all this time, but now, he would never let her out of his sight.

Reaching over, he pulled her into his chest, as if she was the most fragile thing on the planet, even though he knew that if it came down to it, Marinette could whoop his ass any day of the week.

In the background, Adrien could vaguely hear a female giggle, accompanied by Plagg calling out what he assumed was Marinette's kwami's name.

"Tikki!" Plagg whispered, and Adrien could hear the smile in his voice. "I told you!"

His whispered were responded to in kind with more giggles, and the sound of Tikki trying to shush his floating friend.

"Shush, shush, don't ruin the moment!"

Taking the chance to take a look at his hands, and her mind away from their two floating kwami, Marinette grabbed them and brought them into her line of sight, eyes widening as she saw what they were covered in.

"You…. Your hands are covered in splinters!" Marinette looked at the boy, a small frown on her face as Adrien smiled a with a hint of guilt in his expression.

"They can look at my hands when we get there," he told her, slipping his arms under her legs and back, waiting until she looped her arms around his neck for support before he stood up. He chuckled softly as her unamused expression.

"Who can look at your hands?" she asked as he started striding forward.

"The doctors." Marinette opened her mouth to respond, but before she could get a word in, Adrien continued. "No buts, we're going to the hospital and you can kick and whine all you like, but I want to take care of you, so let me, my Lady."

Adrien reveled in the feel of her head resting on his shoulder as he made his way towards the stairs that led down to the school. He wouldn't wish for anything else.


	5. Chapter 5

Nino stood on the pavement beside an average looking apartment building, and he could easily say that never before had an unassuming pair of glass double doors provided him with so much anxiety. They didn't move or sway or creak, and that was what was freaking him out. He was waiting for them to move, to shift and reveal a girl he had practically run there to meet. What was he doing? What the hell, he had NO PLAN, absolutely zero. No literally, he had nothing. There was no plan here, but he still pulled out his phone with a shaking hand, he still swallowed back the growing lump in his throat. He still texted Alya, "Hey I'm here, come outside."

He breathed out a huge shaking rush of air as soon as the message sent, and there were those few scattered moments where he was alone with his thoughts, stood outside Alya's building.

Should he have brought flowers? Should he have done anything? Because with all of his half-baked plans he had come up with absolutely nothing that would work. None of it was right, nothing fit, nothing was good enough. The funny thing about time, though, is that time doesn't give a damn if you're ready for something or not, and continues to tick along at its set and steady pace laughing at the plight of mortal beings as their dreams fade into wistful regrets and their bones decay into dust.

Okay, he was being dramatic, but he felt like he had a little right to be. This wasn't just, this wasn't just anyone. It was her, it was Alya. The worst part about it all was that she was his friend. They laughed and joked and teased each other like it was as effortless as walking; he thought about her more than he cared to admit. Or maybe he didn't mind. Maybe he didn't mind saying it, saying that she dominated his mind sometimes. Hell, he might have taken the time to make fun of himself for it if he could focus long enough to do so, but she was distracting in the lamest ways. Just the way she stood, the way she tilted her head, the way she talked. Maybe it wasn't that interesting to anyone else, but he noticed, and it took him a long time to figure out why. Why care, why notice at all? Why could he pick Alya out of a lineup of a thousand identical replicas, just because he knew the way her lips shaped when she was thinking of something funny?

He didn't know, he wasn't really a guy for words, and he wasn't really the guy for action either. He had no idea what kind he was, he just knew what kind of girl she was, and he would do everything to be enough. Man, could he even say he was brave? Getting there had taken some courage, running to her house with absolutely nothing to back him up. Maybe it was dumb, but it still took courage. Brave as he might like to think his actions were, however, he still jumped at the sound of a creaking door, his heart hammering in his chest.

Alya looked around for a second before spotting Nino standing frozen on the sidewalk, a curious look on her face as she called out, "Nino?"

She gave a smile as she started to walk towards him, her expression contorting into one of concern as she picked up on how… wacked out he looked.

 _This is it,_ his mind practically whimpered, gaining strength as the thought gained steam. _Here's my chance, it's now or never!_

Alya slowed a little in her approach, innocently asking with a slightly teasing tone, "Uh, is something wrong?"

"A-Alya," he tried to start, her name catching on his teeth and tripping out as he felt heat blossom on his cheeks. She just stood there, so unaffected, waiting for an answer when he blurted out, "D-Do you want to hang out!?"

 _What?_ his thoughts sighed in frustration, and her always playful smirk only made him more nervous.

"Hang out?" she asked with a chuckle, but her eyes widened as he started to ramble.

"I really don't have much more of a plan than this," he admitted, his hands flailing out in front of him as he tried to explain, getting more and more flustered as he tried to be completely honest. "I kept thinking about what you would like or expect and I was freaking myself out so I just decided that I wanted to be with you today and whatever we end up doing will be perfect anyways. S-so happy Valentine's day."

There was a heavy gap between words as he finished, feeling like he was burning alive from his own embarrassment as he noticed the sudden blush on her face. Her mouth popped open slightly and he could hear a cute girlish gasp as what was happening dawned on her completely, the date and its significance made obvious for the first time. She had been helping so many others with their Valentine's Day plans that she had never actually entertained the idea that someone might… that she might- that Nino-

This was so Nino. The fact that he thought of her in that way was, well, stunning, but there was something so incredibly him about it. Of course he would have no plan, just run in and ask her to hang out, what a dork! It was so-

It was so adorable.

"Hang out," she echoed again, fighting with her own flustered thoughts and finding it pretty easy to smile at him. How could it ever be hard to smile with him around? That was just… Nino.

"I think that sounds cool," she finally decided, grinning at how relieved and shocked and hopeful he suddenly looked and unable to contain her laughter. To her relief he laughed too, letting out all of his pent up frantic anxiety as they laughed together at the lameness of it all. But at least they were together.

* * *

After a few moments discussion they just picked a random direction, agreeing that they would go in to and eat at the fifth restaurant they found regardless of what was in it. They would pick what the other person had to eat and see if they could get the other one to eat something pretty ridiculous. The activity wasn't something they might have never done just hanging out randomly, but this time was significantly better. Nino decided it was probably the hand holding that did it.

He smiled happily as Alya rattled off all the interesting gossip involving their classmates, loving her inflection as she relayed the biggest scoops.

"So guess what?" she started, grinning up at him.

"Hm?" he asked back, content to mostly just hear her voice for awhile.

"Rose finally asked out Juleka!" she giggled excitedly, using her free hand in a victorious fist pump motion.

"Yes!" he cheered, "About time!"

"I can't believe it! Everyone knew it was going to happen but it took so long, I guess she must have been waiting for today huh?"

"I thought it'd be Juleka," Nino admitted, counting the third restaurant as they passed it.

"No way, I knew it'd be Rose, just didn't know when," she declared, happy to know that she was right once again. "And Ivan got Mylene some really nice, cute roses."

"Oh yeah, she was posting about it online," Nino added, looking over at Alya, surprised she wasn't gushing about the obvious news they both cared about.

"Don't forget about the big one," he laughed, excited to see her rant about the OTP, but to his surprise she cocked her head.

"The big one? Who, Max and Kim?"

He stopped dead on the sidewalk, mouth dropped open as he gaped at her in disbelief.

"No way! Don't tell me you didn't know, are you for real!?"

"Know about what!?" she demanded, eyes shining as she sensed a huge story.

"The one we've been rooting for forever?"

He laughed at her frustration and excitedly leaned down to whisper something in her ear.

There was a space of silence, then suddenly-

"EXCUSE ME!?"

He started to laugh at her absolutely shocked expression as he said, "I'm surprised! How could you not know!? It's Adrien and Marinette!"

Cat Noir crouched low on the bakery's rooftop, crawling forward in careful silence as he creeped down onto Marinette's balcony, heart hammering in his chest as he got closer to the small glass panel hatch set in the floor. What was he doing? Was this way too forward?

His thoughts scattered when he carefully peeked through the glass, his heart wrenching painfully when he spotted Marinette in her bed, heavily bandaged but still smiling.

He tilted his head to listen, catching the muffled sound of voices just on the other side of the glass.

"Are you feeling alright, Marinette? Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?"

The voice was unmistakably her mother's, her tone betraying her understandably intense concern.

"Oh no I'm fine, it's no big deal."

Cat couldn't really help the scoff at Marinette's reply. He knew she was tough but… but come on! He could see her, bandages that had freshly been changed from blood soaked ones… and she played it like it was nothing.

"Akuma attacks are a pretty big deal," Sabine disagreed, and Cat cheered her on silently. Exactly Mrs. Cheng, yes, it's a huge deal. Just some people are a little ridiculously stubborn when it comes to personal safety. Not naming names of course.

"That's true but… don't worry about it."

Ugh Marinette. Cat took a steadying breath, trying to counter his anger he knew only came from worry. He couldn't help it, the bandages just reminded him… she had been so hurt. For his sake.

He shook it off.

"Well, make sure you get a lot of rest for now, okay?"

"Okay," Marinette replied, and from his vantage point he could see her give a small wave, head moving slightly as she tracked movement through her room, most likely her parents leaving her be so she could sleep. He watched for a moment more, wondering exactly what his next move was when she spoke again.

"I know you're there, kitty."

She looked up, catching him peeping through the glass and making him jump in surprise, a hot wash of embarrassment overtaking him as she smiled. Had she seriously known he was there the whole time? Awesome… step one of the plan that wasn't a plan executed flawlessly.

He reached out to open the hatch, looking at her unobstructed but unable to maintain eye contact, looking away as he said, "H-hi."

Her smile never left her face, and when he found the courage to look back at it he was grateful it was there. It was soft and shining and it made the cuts and bruises fade from her skin. It made things alright.

"Would you like to come in?" she finally spoke, and he jolted, remembering part two of his plan not-plan, desperately trying to steel his determination before it left him completely.

"H-hold on, just a second!" he stammered, vanishing from Marinette's limited view through the hatch and revealing blue sky, before it was blacked out again by him climbing down, very carefully settling his weight on the bed as he jumped but still spooking her slightly. He wasn't able to quite focus though, his confidence going up in flames when she spotted the bouquet in his hands. She reddened instantly, eyes glued to the flowers as he tried to say something but failed, so instead he sighed. He took a moment to strengthen his resolve, before releasing the transformation.

The green flashing lights made shadows dance across her room, whipping around him until he stood before her as a classmate and blushing nervous fool… holding his heart out ahead of him, buried somewhere in a bouquet of roses.

"Happy Valentine's Day, my lady," he spoke, watching as she carefully took the flowers from him, her soft smile returning and growing into something stronger. The sight of her happiness made his heart skip, a nervous laugh slipping past his guard and earning an adorable giggle from her as she turned the flowers over.

"Thank you…" she breathed, holding them close to her chest and laying one cheek softly against the petals. "Thank you so much… kitten," she laughed, her blush deepening when she used the nickname when he was exposed as her crush.

"Adorable," a new voice cut in, making Adrien sigh and Marinette jump in fright as Cat Noir's black kwami making a very sullen appearance.

"O-oh! Uh, is this…?" Mari trailed off, leaning back a little when Plagg floated into her face, examining her. She pouted a little when he snickered at something.

"This is Plagg," Adrien supplied, his irritation clear in his voice and it almost made her laugh again. "As you can see he is the best with interruptions."

"You de-transformed!" the kwami Plagg protested. "Where did you expect me to go!?"

"I don't know!" Adrien hissed, Marinette's entertained giggle making him a little flustered again. He was trying to be smooth.

"Oh, stop giving him a hard time cheddar head," an adorably squeaky voice chimed in, something small, cute, and red floating into view. She (he was assuming) crossed her arms and playfully smiled at the cat, who smirked in response. "Can't you cut him a break?"

"Can't make things easy for him Tikki, he'd go soft! Even softer than all this mush," Plagg whined, still snickering at Adrien's exasperated face. Mari was still hiding behind a hand to contain more of her giggles.

"Please find something to do," Adrien almost begged, speaking in a hushed voice to the kwamis even if he knew Marinette would still hear him. To his relief the kwami named Tikki put her hands on her hips and smiled at him.

"I'll keep him out of trouble," she promised, shoving Plagg hard so he floated into the open space of Marinette's room, pin-wheeling his arms as he tried to gain control again. Tikki gave a final giggle before zipping off in pursuit.

Adrien laughed again once the kwamis had left, a little less nervously, but he still fidgeted in place. He reached up, rubbing at the back of his neck and examining her bed spread closely since looking at her became almost impossible.

"H-hey, I know you can't go out…" he tried to start, seeing her smile again out of the corner of his eye, "but uh… if you want I can go out and get us some food. Maybe a movie? Or… uh, we c-can just hang out. If you wanted company, I mean."

She didn't reply right away so he forged on, saying, "I-I know it's not much of a Valentine's Day but-"

"Adrien," she cut him off, the sound of his name bringing his gaze up to see her softly blushing face. "It's perfect."

He stopped, overwhelmed by how amazing she was in that moment. Because she was brave… she was strong, and kind and beautiful, and she had punned for him, she said purr-fect. At least he liked to think she had at any rate, because it made everything so much better.

"G-good one!" he exclaimed, grinning at her like the absolutely love-stricken doofus he knew he was… and a little ways away from them, suspended in space, Tikki and Plagg watched their charges helplessly stutter through their interaction.

"Aw…" Tikki cooed as Marinette braved reaching out for Adrien's hand, "Isn't this sweet?"

Plagg looked on as Adrien took the offered hand, looking like he was going to pass out from doing so and sighed. With a mix between exasperation and disbelief, Plagg said, "That's one way to say it."


End file.
